Governors

The role of the Governing Body is a key part of the leadership team working in partnership with the Headteacher and deputy of the school. In accordance with the Government’s requirement for all governing bodies, the three core strategic functions of the Governing Body for Fair Oak Infant School are:
 

1. Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;

2. Holding the Headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils;

3. Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its budget is well spent.

Our Governors bring a wide variety of experience and expertise to the school. This helps ensure that the school is continuously moving forward, maintaining and raising standards in a way that is in line with the ethos and vision of the school.

Governance Arrangements

The Governing Body of Fair Oak Infant School re-constituted in March 2017 and is now made up of 1 Staff Governor, the Headteacher, 3 elected Parent Governors, 1 Local Authority Governor and 7 Co-opted Governors.
 

Co-opted governors are appointed by the Governing Body and are people who, in the opinion of the governing body, have the skills required to contribute to the effective governance and success of the school.

The full Governing Body meets once each half term, and we also have a number of committees to consider different aspects of the school in detail. At Fair Oak Infant School we have a Resources Committee, focusing on finance, premises and personnel, and a Standards Committee, focusing on curriculum, pupil progress and attainment.

As a Governing Body we also have a Pay Review Committee which meets once a year to ratify all pay awards to members of staff and a Headteacher’s Performance Review Committee to manage the performance of the Headteacher.
 

We also have committees that meet, if required, to consider pupil discipline and staffing matters.

Link Governors are appointed to oversee, monitor and report on specific aspects of the school, such as Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND), Safeguarding and Internationalism or subject matters like English and Maths.

Attendance Record of Governors

The Department for Education requires us to publish the attendance record of each governor at meetings over the last academic year (2019/2020). This is included below.

The work that we have done on our committees and in the full governing body

The main priority and focus for any governing body is school Improvement.
 

The full Governing Body receives a comprehensive report from the Headteacher every term covering all aspects of the school improvement plan, progress towards targets and attainment.

Governors discuss and monitor key data giving the results of pupil achievement and progress, so that we can be sure that the school is on track to fulfil its ambitious targets for all pupils.

We are also focused on our “vulnerable groups” of children and monitor how the Pupil Premium Grant is being spent by the school and what impact this has on their outcomes.

Governors visit the school throughout the year to monitor the School Improvement Plan.

Standards Committee

The committee is responsible for:

• Monitoring and evaluating the curriculum provision and standards of attainment in the school.

• Scrutinising all pupil progress and attainment data.

• Monitoring the quality of impact of interventions to support pupils who need additional assistance with their learning.

• Monitoring the impact of the use of Pupil Premium Funding and Sports Funding

In other areas, the Committee has spent time analysing, challenging and supporting aspects of pupil progress by looking at a variety of different measures. Governors questioned the data but can report that the trend remains very positive and clear plans are in place to deal with areas that remain a focus for the school. We have also reviewed the SEND policy.

The Committee received presentations from numerous staff members who are subject leads.

The Committee regularly reviews the school improvement plan and raises questions about the priorities of teaching and learning. There have been many opportunities to scrutinise the approach of the school.

Our discussions and the level of detail provided by the Senior Leadership team led us to feel confident that assessment practices within the school are rigorous and useful. There have been significant changes to assessment by central government in recent years, so it was a good opportunity to ensure the school has successfully adapted to the changes.

Resources Committee

The Resources Committee prioritises expenditure within the school budget and looks at the maintenance and development of the premises.
 

Each year we review spend against budget to ensure the priorities are being focused on and the financial sustainability of our school is maintained. This year has been very challenging as we have faced head on the difficulties of lower budgets and increased costs such as increases in National Insurance and Pension contributions.

As a committee we are also responsible for buildings, (school premises and grounds, security and health and safety), which means ensuring the school is kept in good repair and adheres to legislation.

Minutes of Governing Body and Committee meetings are public documents – these are available to view on the school’s website and within the School Office.

Pay Committee

The Pay Review Committee reviews the Headteacher’s evidence of staff performance against targets and uses this to determine the level of pay awards, if any, for individual members of staff.

Headteacher Performance Committee

The Governing Body carries out the annual appraisal of the Headteacher.

The appraisal process allows us to look closely at the performance of the Headteacher, have discussions about areas of strength and weakness and set new targets against which the Headteacher’s performance will be reviewed.

Covid-19

The 2019/20 academic year was very different for everyone linked to education, whether as a parent or a guardian, staff or Governors.  From March onwards, as a Governing Body we continued to hold Full Governing Body meetings virtually. However, due to the suspension of the curriculum no monitoring visits or sub-committee meetings were conducted from this point. 

Virtual meetings enabled Governors to continue with their challenge of the school, but also to ensure that any assistance or guidance in these unprecedented times were available to staff at the school.

Future Plans for the Governing Body

The Governing Body will continue to monitor and challenge the schools performance through:
 

• A Governor Development Plan focusing on key targets within the School Improvement Plan.
• Regular review of key data, to ensure pupil achievement and progress is on track.
   

As a Governing Body we are clear on what really matters, improving education for every child at Fair Oak Infant School.

How you can contact the governing body

We always welcome suggestions, feedback and ideas from parents. Please contact the Chair of Governors via the School Office.

The membership of the Governing Body at Fair Oak Infant School

Record of Governors Pecuniary Interests - September 2019

The Department for Education requires us to publish a record of governors pecuniary interests. These are detailed below.